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April is Alcohol Awareness Month, which in Portland means itās time for the annual Spring Beer & Wine Fest. Locals may notice something different about this yearās festival: a massive sign reminding onlookers that marijuana is safer than alcohol.

MPPās latest billboard, located at Southwest 13th and Alder Streets, features a glass of beer, a glass of wine, and a marijuana leaf below the words “Beer,” “Wine,” and “Safer.”

“Our goal is to make this year’s beer and wine festivals as educational as they are enjoyable,” said Roy Kaufmann, MPPās Oregon representative. “We know Oregonians are proud of our craft beer, wine, and spirits, but the objective fact remains that marijuana is less toxic and less addictive than alcohol, and it is far less likely to contribute to violent and reckless behavior.ā

Despite what some may think, marijuana reform is not a rallying cry for simply one side of the political spectrum.

Sen. Rand Paul

In response to a comment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on “Fox News Sunday” that marijuana use wasn’t worth throwing people in jail for, Bryan Fischer, the director of issues analysis for the socially conservative American Family Association, tweeted: āSen. Paul doesn’t want [to] send folks to jail for marijuana beef. Fine. Make ’em pay a fine, like we do for speeding tickets.ā

The elderly represent the largest medical marijuana consumer group. However, more and more senior citizens are turning to marijuana for recreational purposes ā and itās not just the aging baby boomers that left the substance behind in college. Some retirees are trying marijuana for the first time.

In 2011, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 6.3% of adults between the ages of 50 and 59 used marijuana, more than double the percentage that reported it 10 years ago.

A medical marijuana bill that could allow academic medical centers to provide marijuana to patients whose doctors recommend it took a significant step toward becoming law minutes ago when it was approved by the Maryland House of Delegates. In a sign of just how uncontroversial this bill is, there was no debate and the vote was an overwhelming 108-28! The bill now moves over to the Senate, so you know what to do.

Unlike medical marijuana programs youāve heard about in other states, HB 1101 would allow academic medical centers, like Johns Hopkins, to apply to an independent commission for the ability to administer a research-focused program through which participating patients could obtain marijuana without fear of arrest and prosecution. The bill is far from perfect ā it could take years to get up and running and would require either federal cooperation or medical centers in Maryland to violate federal law ā but itās a start. The bill could be amended down the road if the current version proves unworkable.

Until recently, things had been all quiet on the marijuana front in Nevada. That changed suddenly last week when Sen. Richard āTickā Segerblom introducedĀ SB 374, a bill to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada, and Assemblyman Joe Hogan introducedĀ AB 402, which would regulate marijuana like alcohol.

Sen. Segerblomās bill would fix current Nevada law, which prohibits buying or selling marijuana. Last year, a Nevada judgeĀ called that āridiculousā and āabsurdāĀ and called upon the legislature to pass a bill much like SB 374. And of course, Hoganās bill would be a financial boon for the cash-strapped state. Rather than spending millions locking up adults for using a substance safer than alcohol, the state could make millions in tax revenue.

Medical marijuana bills are circulating in Illinois and Florida. In Illinois, HB1, authored by Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), will soon be voted on in the House. According to Rep. Lang, the bill is just “one or two” votes short of passage. As for Florida, the Health Policy Committee has been assigned āThe Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act,ā named for the president of the Florida Cannabis Action Network, who has ALS. Police raided Jordanās house earlier this year and seized the marijuana she was using to treat her condition.

The interest surrounding each bill has inspired editorial boards in both states to throw their support behind the issue of marijuana reform.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Shafer Report, the extensive study commissioned by Richard Nixon to advise him on drug policy. Surprisingly, both to Nixon and to most readers today, the report suggested making marijuana legal all the way back in 1973!

Nixon did not approve and ignored the findings of the report, having already decided to embark on a disastrous āWar On Drugsā that continues to this day, with increasingly devastating effects on society.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 112Ā (PDF) is set for a final vote on the Idaho House floor. Already approved by the Senate, if passed it would officially proclaim that the current Idaho Legislature opposes marijuana legalization āfor any purpose.ā What a curious way to spend their time and residents’ tax dollars considering aĀ February 2011 poll found that nearly three quarters of IdahoansĀ favor allowing āterminally and seriously ill patients to use and purchase marijuana for medical purposes.ā Apparently, the author of the bill, Sen. Chuck Winder (R-Boise), thinks reform is a problem and he wants none of it in Idaho.

The good news is ā even if passed ā this resolution canāt stop the will of the people from prevailing. In fact, the groupĀ Compassionate IdahoĀ has just released a new petition to place a medical marijuana initiative on the November 2014 ballot! If they gather enough signatures by April of next year, the voters will be able to teach their lawmakers a thing or two about compassion.

Rep. Cory WilliamsOklahoma has some of the harshest penalties for marijuana possession in the nation. A second offense for possession of any amount of marijuana is a felony punishable by a mandatory minimum of two years imprisonment and a maximum of 10.

Fortunately, legislation awaiting action on the House floor would introduce a dose of sanity.Ā H.B. 1835, sponsored by Rep. Cory Williams (D-34), would make first and second offense possession of marijuana a misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses would remain a felony, but the possible jail time would be reduced to a maximum of five years. Read the rest of this entry »

Late last night, I received word that the House Judiciary and Health & Government Operations (HGO) Committees each approved legislation to set up a first-of-its-kind medical marijuana program in Maryland. The votes were overwhelming: 22-1 in HGO and 17-4 in Judiciary. Iām very optimistic, but letās leave nothing to chance. Read the rest of this entry »

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The opinions expressed by our viewers and posters do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Marijuana Policy Project. These views are those of their individual authors alone. MPP does not condone or support the illegal use of marijuana. We do encourage open and frank discussion, but if a comment has been posted that is in some way significantly inappropriate, please email us at [email protected] to report it. Thank you, and we're looking forward to what you think!

"The plain and simple truth is that alcohol fuels violent behavior and marijuana does not ... alcohol contributes to literally millions of acts of violence in the United States each year. It is a major contributing factor to crimes like domestic violence, sexual assault, and homicide. Marijuana use, on the other hand, is absent in that regard from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no causal link to be found."
Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, from the foreword to Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?, 2009